I'll Be There For You
by XVioletRoseX
Summary: Alternate Universe. Only child Piper Halliwell has a hard life but could it be made better with a little love and a little friendship?... better then it sounds


Chapter 1

Piper stretched and yawned as she woke herself up from another one of her restless sleeps. She sighed into her pillow as she thought of the long day of school and work she had in front of her. Piper groaned as she pushed herself out of bed and stumbled into the hall and into the bathroom.

She groaned again once she realised that she hadn't had time to shower last night when she finally got home from work. As she waited for the water to heat up she brushed her teeth and thought of the day ahead of her. She had Math with Mrs Jefferson- the woman that Piper believed to be the wife of Lucifer because honestly who else would marry that she-bitch.

She rolled her neck back which effectively cracked it back into place and smiled as she remembered that she had to get out of school after dinner (before math class) so that she could accompany her grams to her hospital appointment. She spat out the foamy residue of her toothpaste and whipped the rest on her towel before hopping into shower for the grand total of five minutes before she regrettably had to leave the warmth and had to face the big bad world.

Piper towel dried her long brown hair and brushed it into a ponytail and changed quickly into a clean pair of jeans and her favourite T-shirt that she got from her grams two years ago. It was a white shirt with a pentagram star design on it.

Her Grams liked the idea of witchcraft, she even did a little in her free time- but Piper knew she wasn't crazy nor did it worry her that her Grams believed in such things. It wasn't hurting anyone and it helped her Grams feel better and made her happy. There is no harm in that.

Still, that didn't mean that Piper didn't get crap in school from narrow minded teens that didn't understand the concept of liking a shirt… to them she was just a freak that is obsessed with magic, spells and 'eye of newt'. She sighed as she quickly put on her trainers, grabbed her bag and rushed out of her room and down to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Before anything else she started up the coffee machine- there was no way in _hell _was she ever going to function today- or any day really- without it. Next she opened the fridge and grabbed the fresh eggs and milk to join the flour on the table to make a batch of pancakes- Grams favourite. She was so concentrated on her cooking that she didn't even notice the entrance of Kit- Grams cat.

Kit silently padded over to Piper, rubbing her head on Pipers leg and purred affectionately. Piper smiled down to the cat as she filled her clean bowl with milk and gently placed the bowl on the ground for Kit.

The pancakes where soon ready and as if she sensed it Grams walked into the kitchen just in time still in her following white night gown.

"Good morning, my darling" Grams greeted with a warm smile

Piper knew very well how strong willed Grams was- some would say stubborn- but she also knew that her Grams personality did not match her out ward appearance at the moment. With her hair was thinning and greying, her skin paling and wrinkling, and the consistent cough that pledged over her Penny Halliwell truly was a ghost of her former self.

Piper's Grams was not a well woman and that fact alone scared the hell out of Piper. For as long as she could remember it was Grams that was always there for her… her mother died in a car accident when Piper was only three years old and she didn't even want to think about her dead-beat dad.

"So what time did you get home last night?" Grams asked interrupting Pipers thoughts

Penny picked up a cup and started to pour herself a cup of coffee which Piper immediately took away from her and replaced it with a glass of orange juice.

"Not till one… I had to clean and lock up" Piper admitted taking a sip of the hot coffee

"Piper! You can't keep doing this!" Grams scolded "You are working yourself to your grave"

"Well what is the alternative? Lose the house? Stop paying your medical bills?" Piper exclaimed "because that cannot and shall not happen!"

"Okay, okay my dear I surrender" Penny said sitting down at the table

"Good, now eat up" Piper said putting the large plate of pancakes in front of her

Piper sat down and helped herself to a pancake and continued with her coffee. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already quarter past eight. She hurried to eat the rest of her breakfast so that she didn't meet the morning traffic on her way to school.

"Okay, I've got to go, but you better eat up, it will help keep your strength up" Piper instructed "I'll be back after dinner to take you to the hospital for your appointment and don't even think about sneaking any coffee… your under strict dietary orders"

Before leaving, Piper refilled her mug, poured the rest of the coffee down the sink and filled a brown paper bag with pancakes. She grabbed her bag and gave Grams a kiss on the check and left.

"Okay darling, but stop stressing! I didn't start getting grey hairs until I was in my sixty's" Grams exclaimed "Keep going the way you are and you will have a full head of grey hair by tomorrow morning"

"Yea, yea, yea I'll keep that in mind" Piper replied gabbing her jacket and keys before she left

She walked down the steps and up to her old second hand car. It didn't take her long to get to her High school and get parked in the relatively empty car park. She existed her car, locked it and continued to walk up to the steps of the school and towards her locker.

As she rounded the corner she suddenly collided with someone who sent her flying backwards. She heard a smash beside her and realised it was her coffee mug that she bought with her from the manor. Piper found herself thankful that she had just finished her coffee.

"I am so sorry" an unfamiliar male voice apologized

"No, it's alright" Piper sighed rubbing her sore head "It was probably my fault anyway"

"No, no all my fault" The smooth voice argued "Here let me help you up"

A large strong hand moved into her line of vision, she groaned as she let herself be helped up to her feet. Once she was steady on her feet her gaze followed their connected hands and limbs until she met a pair of green, a mop of blonde spiky hair and a boyish smile that spread across his face.

"Hi" he said

"Hi" she replied a smile of her own coming into focus

"Sorry about you cup…" He said sounding a little confused

"Ah yes, you're wondering why there _is _acup, aren't you?" Piper said with a soft laugh

"Yea, just a little" The boy said laughing too

"Well in a nut shell I'm a great driver, I love coffee and I don't see the point of buying it if I can make a perfectly good cup at home which is relatively free" Piper breathed in "Am I rambling? I feel like I'm rambling"

Piper felt nervous which made her ramble- she even rambled about rambling. But this situation struck her as odd she had never been this nervous around or because of a guy before and it was freaking her out.

"Yes, you are but it's… cute" the comment made them both blush

"So, you don't look familiar" Piper stated

"Yea, it's my first day… I just moved into town" He replied

"Um hum" Piper's eyes ventured downwards and saw that their hands where still joined

She slipped her hand out of his and was saddened at the empty feeling but she refused to let it show as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"So do you have a name?" Piper asked coyly

"Maybe" he smirked

"Are you- may be- going to tell me?" Piper asked raising her eyebrow

"I don't know are you going to tell me what you got in that brown bag?" He asked curiously

Realisation crossed Piper's face "Its breakfast for two of my friends… which reminds me their waiting- I should go"

Disappointment was evident on the guy's face but piper didn't understand why

"Okay, I guess I'll see you around…?" he paused for her name

"Piper" she supplied

"Leo" He replied smiling

Piper smiled has Leo walked past her and around the corner. Her heart was pumping in her ears and she didn't understand why she was reacting like this but one thing was for sure in her mind and that was that her life just got a little bit more interesting.


End file.
